Shopping for Supplements -- Living Healthy and Saving Money

When it comes to personalized weight loss programs and their role in weight loss success, diet gurus and so-called experts have had a lot to say when it comes to nutritional supplements. Usually what they are writing and saying and urging you to do is BUY! BUY! BUY!

And what you should be buying is their particular brand of vitamins, minerals, healthy weight loss shakes, etc. What most of them are doing is using the same company to produce and package the same product, same ingredients, under a different name.

They can then call theirs the latest and greatest supplement--something they've discovered or the latest secret revealed. Really?

If it weren't so serious, it would be laughable. But anything that effects your health is serious!

Here are some simple "healthful" tips on buying nutritional supplements. I'm not recommending any particular supplements. Whether you need more Vitamin D, E, Calcium or Iron is a determination you and your doctor can make together.

Instead, these health tips are meant to arm you with knowledge to guide you when you are looking to add vitamin and mineral supplements to your diet.

Common Sense

As with a lot of things, common sense should help us in making decisions. Whenever you read or listen to any advice about nutritional supplements, what you are hearing should have the ring of truth. In other words, if it doesn't sound right, don't pull out your wallet just yet!

Weight loss professionals and nutritionists agree with what you already know is just plain common sense: the best way to stock up on vitamins and minerals is by eating right.

Popping a pill is no substitute for a balanced diet. You can never expect the same results nutritionally speaking when you take a supplement as opposed to eating the right balance of carbohydrates, protein, and some fat. That's why they are called supplements. They are meant to help make up deficiencies which could lead to serious health conditions.

But if you decide to take a vitamin and mineral supplement, here are some things to keep in mind.

1) Don't waste your money on natural vitamins.

Your body can't tell the difference between synthetic (man-made) vitamins and so-called natural ones. However, the synthetic ones are usually cheaper. The exception to this rule is vitamin E. Your body absorbs the natural form better than the synthetic version, although vitamin manufacturers add enough synthetic vitamin E to make up for the difference--and it's still cheaper!

2) Generic brands are just as good as the more expensive ones.

3) Read the label to make sure the expiration date hasn't passed.

Just like foods, supplements should not be used after their expiration date. Check before you buy, don't assume your local (or online) pharmacy checks expiration dates.

4) Don't assume that more is better.

In fact, vitamins A and D, iron, zinc, and selenium can be toxic in high doses, while others can have unpleasant or serious side effects. Your safest bet is to look for supplements that provide no more than the recommended daily dose of each nutrient.

5) Keep supplements away from children.

Those pills may look and sometimes taste like candy to a child, but they can be deadly. Iron supplements cause more poisoning deaths in children than any other substance.

6) Tell your doctor about all the supplements you're taking.

Some vitamins and minerals can interfere with certain medications. Many bad side effects have occurred because of a lack of communication between doctor and patient. I blame BOTH sides in these cases.

You are the only one responsible for your health. Interact with your health care provider and antispate her questions.

The Verdict?

Nutritional supplements can be a very helpful part of your overall health and fitness program. There are many good and well priced brands.

But as with any other pill you might be considering adding to your body's system, use common sense, consult with your doctor, and don't forget that if you want to live healthy and look fantastic while doing it, you have to eat a balanced diet. There's no substitute for that. . . . I guarantee it!

Mark Fuquahttp://www.weight-loss-professional.comWith 3 earned degrees and more than 16 years of experience as spiritual leader, pastor, director of marketing and investment banker, Mark Fuqua brings to the discussion table a breadth and depth of unique experience coupled with academic acumen. He is Consultant and Chief Editor of Diet Basics, a website dedicated to healthy weight loss success.

MORE RESOURCES:

RELATED ARTICLESAmino Acids Primer
Ever wondered whether amino acid supplements really work? We reveal some surprising facts..
Amino Acid Usage - How You Can Benefit
Over the years, amino acid usage has become more and more popular in supplement form. Why? Because many people have come to realize just how much they can benefit from these valuable supplements, and how these acids can provide benefits ranging from improved growth hormone levels to improved cancer protection.
Nutritional Supplement - The Good Food, Bad Food Myth
Will common sense ever prevail? We've all seen stories on the news about a new miracle food. "Eat more carrots and your eyesight will improve," or "Eating raspberries reduces heart disease, cancer, etc.
Herbal Remedies & Supplements
For people who suffer from arthritis, dependable pain relief is a vital concern. The agonizing sensations of simply walking up the stairs are discouraging and can drive patients into depression.
Fish Oil and Possible Disease Prevention
Researchers working at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center state that DPA and DHA, primary components of fish oil, provide substantial protection against coronary heart disease. This study involved more tha six thousand middle-aged men who had samples of their blood taken between 1973 and 1976.
Acne Hormones - Natural Acne Hormone Balancing Treatments for Clear Skin
Can you treat a headache or stomach ache externally, without somehow manipulating your natural bodily functions internally (aka popping a pill)? NO! Then why would you try to treat acne that way? Many acne treatment systems today such as Proactiv, target acne only from the outside, and do not address the issue interanally, as it should be for lasting and dramatic results.If you are really serious about treating acne and really eliminating it at it's source (ie the hormones that cause acne), then you owe it to yourself to try a natural acne hormone treatment which is specifically designed to equalize hormone imbalance and purify the skin from the inside out using special blends of herbs, botanicals, and/or natural compounds such as Vitamin E and Alpha Lipoic Acid.
Shopping for Supplements -- Living Healthy and Saving Money
When it comes to personalized weight loss programs and their role in weight loss success, diet gurus and so-called experts have had a lot to say when it comes to nutritional supplements. Usually what they are writing and saying and urging you to do is BUY! BUY! BUY! And what you should be buying is their particular brand of vitamins, minerals, healthy weight loss shakes, etc.
Steroid Stars
A long time ago, in the country far, far away, a young boy decided he wanted to change his stars for good. He decided that bodybuilding would be his ticket to the top and starts pumping iron.
Using Bodybuilding Supplements To Build Muscle Mass!
OK, first let's get something straight here..
Glutathione - Your Brains Master Antioxidant Defense
Free radicals and oxyradicals play an important role in the development and progression of many brain disorders such as brain injury, neurodegenerative disease, schizophrenia and Down syndrome.Glutathione is the brain's master antioxidant and plays an important protective role in the brain.
4 Answers To Living Life On Lifes Terms
1. What supplements do you take?A multivitamin, Glucosamine-MSM-Chondroitin, Odorless Garlic, Omega 3 Fish Oil, Glutamine, Alpha Lipoic Acid and B Complex - extra B-12.
The Myths and Facts of Vitamin D and Sun Exposure
Unverified reports claiming that unprotected, intentional sun exposure is necessary for Vitamin D formation are getting quite a bit of media coverage lately.Yet, dermatologists still advise the public to practice sun protection to prevent skin cancer.
Taste is Everything When Choosing a Protein Bar
As consumers, we are faced daily with choices about what to eat. As a bodybuilder, we are bombarded with protein bars that promise everything from tons of protein, low carbs, less fat, and the cheapest bar on the market.
Omega 3 Fish Oil That Will and Omega 3 Fish Oil That Wont
At the moment we are in the grip of an omega 3 fish oil revolution, just this week in the uk another scientific trial using high grade fish oil has been completed and the results have been published. The scientific trail in question was performed in the south east of England on a group of random school children.
Vitamin B-Complex: Gastric Bypass Patients Must Supplement
The malabsorptive nature of the gastric bypass system prohibits adequate amounts of B-complex vitamins from food sources from entering the body of weight loss surgery patients. Annual blood tests indicate that patients who do not supplement their diet with B-Complex Vitamins are deficient.
About Liquid Vitamins and Minerals and the New Nutritional Paradigm
Liquid vitamins are the same vitamins that you find in any supermarket or health store, but are suspended in a liquid mixture. This new method of taking liquid nutritional supplements is becoming extraordinarily popular in today's progressive healthcare marketplace.
Vitamin Information for Health
Vitamin C may be the most famous vitamin. Tens of thousands of British sailors were dying of the disease scurvy until they began taking limes and other citrus fruit along on voyages.
What Vitamin Supplement is Best for Gastric Bypass Patients
The multi-vitamin market is rich with choice. It's also very confusing.
Popular Applications of Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid has received much press lately as a natural source of health and beauty. In fact, there are so many uses and benefits of hyaluronic acid, it is instructive to clarify and organize them.
Is Ephedra a Miracle Cure?
Americans are buzzing about the FDA's recent decision to reverse the ban on ephedra and ephedrine supplements in the United States. Known as the "world's oldest medicine," ephedra has been used for thousands of years for its variety of healing properties.